Method and apparatus for separating materials



May 29, 1923. 1,456,934 J. A. RICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MATERIALS Filed Oct. 16. 1920 INVENTOR. JOHN A. RICE ATTORNEYS. E

Patented Ma ra, 1923.

JOHN AINSWOBTH RICE. OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MATERIALS.

Application filed October 16, 1920. Serial No. 417,392.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN A. RICE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of San Francisco, county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Method and Apparatus for Sepacrushed ore may be separated from'the ore and discharged in an effective, simple and reliable manner.- While I do not wish to confine myself to any certain ore or material to be treated by my process, I might mention that the same would be particularly adapted to the' separation ofzinc sul hide and copper-sulphide.

ne of the objects of the invention is to provide a simply constructed and inexpensive ore separator which will be certain in operation, may be easily operated and controlled and with which large quantities of one may be treated in an expeditious, and reliable manner at a low cost.

The invention possesses other advantages and features, some of which, with the fore-' going, will be set forth at length in theollowing description wherein I shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present'specification. In said drawings I have shown one form of the construction of my invention but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself tosuch form, since the invention as expressed in the claims ma be embodied in. a, plurality of forms.

eferring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the separator of my invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the separator, with parts broken away and in section to more clearly illustrate the construction of the apparatus. 4 e In one practical embodiment of this invention, I provide ahorizontal rotary annular disk or body member 1 mounted upon avertical shaft 2 which shaft may be suported and rotated in any suitable manner. lns' disk or body member 1 has a circular seriesof feed orifices -3 therein near and surrounding the center thereof. An annular upwardly andinwardly inclined float more rea y guide plate 4 "is attached to the member 1 and extends around said orifices 3 so as to guide the material as it is fed into the orifices and prevent scattering of said material-over the face of the member 1.

An annular .channel shaped shell 5 sur rounds the member 1 so as to receive the periphery of said member in the annular chamber 6 thereof. The member 1 is spaced from the several walls of the chamber 6 circumferentially. Bolts -7 are inserted through the member 1 and shell 5 and are arranged to fasten these elements together to hold them spaced as herein noted. A bottom plate 8 of circular, fiat form is fixed to the shaft 2 under the member 1 and is of less diameter than said member 1 and spaced therefrom to provide the chamber 9. The lower wall 10 of the member 5, or better, the chamber 6 is extended further inwardly than the upperwa'll .11 and lies under but spaced from the bottom plate 8 so as to provide an annular discharge opening or passage 12. The upper wall 11 is similarly arranged relative to the body member 1 so as to provide an annular discharge opening or passage 13. V

I also provide a foraminous sheet or wire screen 14 which extends from the outer edgeof the body member 1, diagonally across the chamber 6 and-is fastened to the lower outer corner of said chamber. This screen tends to break up the material so that it will in the tra liquid which will be contained as will be falter described, inkthe chamber 6; the screen also prevents ca 1n Operation. 7

In operation,- the shaft and elements supported therebyare rotated and the trap liquid indicated at 15 in Figure 1 is oured into the separator through the o ces 3. This liquid may be mercury, water or oil or some other liquid, dependent on the sepecific gravity of the material to be sepaof the concentrates and subsequent. clogging and obstructing of the'chamber 6.

rated, it being necessary that the liquid, 7

have a higher spelgific gravity than the said. instance, for example,

material. In t mercury is used and upon being slowly fed will be directed by centrifugal force into the chamber .'6 of the shell 5 and will be retained in said shell by said centrifugal action. soon as the mercury begins to into the chamber 9 through the orifices 3.it v

show or discharge at the passage 13 the device is ready for the separation operation, and feeding of the mercury is discontinued.

Finely ground concentrate is next fed into the chamber 9 through the orifices 3 accompanied by water or other fluid until the concentrate begins to appear at the discharge passage 13, this action of the concentrate being effected by centrifugal force. The chamber 6 is thus practically charged with the concentrate. The pulp is now continuously fed into the chamber 9 in suitable volume and the water and gangue or like pulp constituents discharge freely through the passage 12. The separation of the concentrates takes place at or near the periphery of the plate 8. Thus the heavier particles of concentrate accumulate at the periphery of the plate 8 and under the member 1 in a column as shown at 16 in Figure 1. As the comparatively heavy concentrate collects or gathers in the chamber 6 the added weight will displace the column 16 forcing it upwardly and slowly through the screen 14. Upon passing through the screen 14 these particles of concentrate float through the trap li uid or mercury 15 and are discharged by. action of the mercury out through the passage 18 and may be collected in a suitable receptacle, not shown. Thus th discharge of mineral concentrate will be automatic and controlled by the displacement action of the concentrate column 16.

Where the concentrate is a liquid and of the same specific gravity as the liquid of the trap, the concentrate will mix with the liquid o-fthe trap, part of the concentrate belng discharged at 13.

It will thus be seen that the separator of this invention may be used for separating solid articles of different specific gravity and f dr separating solid particles from. liquids or liquids from liquids where the liquids will not mix, as for example, water, oil and mercury.

From the foregoing, it will thus be seen that it is not so much the means for realizing the desirable result sought, as the method in itself regardless of the instrumentalities for carrying the same out represents an e ually important feature of the invention. Therefore, I do not restrict myself to the articular means shown, but on the other l 'iand, desire to include a method of separation whereby the heavier concentrate 1s by its own accumulated weight forced through a liquid of greater specific gravity. than the concentrate itself, thus separating the concentrate from the lighter parts of the pulp.

I claim: 1

1. A centrifugal separator embodying in its construction a rotary shaft, a member on said shaft and onto which material to be separated is discharged, an annular chamber rotated by said shaft and receiving the periphery of said member, and a separation liquid of greater specific gravity than the material being treated being contained within said chamber and a screen extending across said chamber.

2. A centrifugal separator comprising an annular chamber open on one side only and having annular discharge passages at the upper and lower portions of its open side means for rotating said chamber, said chamber being arranged to contain a separation liquid and means for centrifugally directingmaterial to be treated into the chamber and a foraminous sheet extending between said discharge passages and across said chamber.

3. A centrifugal separator embodying in its construction an annular chamber open upon its inner side and adapted to contain a separation liquid, a body member surrounded by said chamber and extending into the open side thereof in spaced relation to the walls of said chamber, said member having intake openings therein, means of connection between the body member and said chamber, a bottom plate beneath and spaced from the body member with its periphery of said member, and extending into said chamber, and a rotary shaft upon which said plate and member are mounted.

4. A centrifugal separator embodying in its construction an annular chamber open upon its inner side and adapted to contain a' separation liquid, a body member surrounded by said chamber and extending into the open side thereof in spaced relation to the walls of said chamber, said member having intake openings therein, means of connection between the body member and said chamber, a bottom plate beneath and spaced from the body member and extending into said chamber and a rotary shaft upon which said plate and member are mounted and a screen extending from the' periphery of said body member diagonally across said chamber.

5. A, method of separating materials of different s cific gravities, consisting in forcing the eavie-r material through a liquid of greater specific gravity than the material itself by centrifugal force and separately directing the separated materials away from said liquid.

6. A method of separatingmaterials of different specific gravities, which consists in separating the materials by the action of centrifugal force, forcing the heavier material through a liquid of greaterspecific gravity than the material itself by means of its own accumulated weight, discharging the lighter material as it accumulates and discharging the heavier material after it has been forced through said liquid by its accumulated weight.

JOHN AINS'WORTH RICE. 

